Loading ...Morraq – Meat and Rice Stew
By: Habeeb Salloum/Arab America Contributing Writer
Olives used in cooking such as in this dish from Saudi Arabia are common also in the North African kitchen. In the Arab world, the choice of olives is not limited to black and green. Olives vary in colours and type of curing – the favoured being the ripe black olives cured in brine. Morroq is not only popular in Saudi Arabia but in most of the other Arab Gulf countries.
Serves 4 to 6
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium onions, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1-pound lamb, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 large red pepper, finely chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
3 cups water
1 cup Basmati or any other long grain rice, rinsed
6 large or 12 small black olives, pitted
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
Heat oil in a saucepan, then sauté onions over medium heat for 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, meat, pepper, salt and cayenne then sauté for a further 5 minutes, occasionally stirring to prevent sticking to bottom of saucepan. Add water and bring to boil then cover and cook over medium-low heat for 50 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in rice and olives and re-cover then cook over medium-low heat for about 15 minutes or until rice is tender but not mushy, stirring occasionally to ensure that rice does not stick to bottom of saucepan and adding more water if necessary. Stir in parsley.
Serve immediately.
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